Article of furniture



Dec. 18, 1962 M, VAETH ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8, 1961 Dec. 18, 1962 M. VAETH 3,06

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed June 8, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 2 4! A 54' I'll! 45 I2 I u I0 Dec. 18, 1962 Filed June 8, 1961 M. VAETH ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,069,216 ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Mona Vaeth, 24 McIntosh Road, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Filed June 8, 1961, Ser. No. 115,740 10 Claims. ((11. 312-195) One of the objects of this invention is to provide a desk like structure of the nature indicated which can be made from strong thin panel members, such as plywood, and which may be packed in a small fiat package for shipment, whereby the parts slip together with interlocking notches in order to provide a rigid structure without the use of any tools or hardware.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a knockdown furniture kit assembly whereby at least four different styles of a desk like structure may be constructed therefrom without need for modifying any of the basic structural members.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a knockdown furniture kit assembly whereby two forms of a level top desk structure, with shelves on either the left or right thereof, and two forms of a sloping top drafting table structure, with shelves either right or left, may be assembled therefrom.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description, which is to be taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric exploded view of the parts;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are similar views showing the parts assembled into a level top desk structure;

FIGURE 4 illustrates the rearrangement of parts necessary to form a sloping top drafting table;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation view of the sloping top of said drafting table; and

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view showing the assembled sloping top drafting table.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the various parts making up the kit of the present invention will first be described and their general relationship to each other will be explained before describing and illustrating the assembled furniture structures. Generally, three parallel spaced vertical side panel members 10, 11, and 12 are provided to form the supporting structure for the horizontal members making up the shelves and desk top. The use of three such side panel members provides for a bookshelf pedestal on one side of the desk or drafting table structure wherein tools, books, and other equipment may be placed for the convenience of the person seated or standing thereat. The material from which these vertical side panel members is constructed may be made from any fairly strong thin material, such as, for example, flat pieces of plywood. Normally, the surface finish of each said member is the same on all sides such that it may be repositioned or turned over without affecting the appearance of the structure in general. The same is true for all other members subsequently to be described.

Each side panel member 10, 11, and 12 is provided with at least two vertical notches extending inwardly from the top edge thereof. For example, side member 10 has vertical notches 13 and 16 respectively spaced near its front and rear vertical edges. In like fashion, panels 11 and 12 have correspondingly positioned vertical notches 1417, and 1518 which are spaced from their corresponding front and rear vertical panel edges, and which extend inwardly from the panel top edge. In the preferred embodiment, notches 13, 14, and 15 are at least twice the depth of notches 16, 17, and 18 for reasons subsequently to be described. The exact spacing of the above described side panel vertical notches, both from each other and from the respective front and rear edges, is somewhat optional 3,069,216 Patented Dec. 18, 1962 but should conform with criteria later to be described in order that the kit may be assembled into either a level top or a sloping top structure.

Each of the side panel members 10, 11, and 12 also includes at least one horizontally disposed notch 19, 20, and 21, respectively, which extends inwardly from the front vertical edge thereof. These horizontal notches are preferably spaced nearer to the bottom edge of the side panel members than to the top, although the only requirement is that their position be such that suflicient rigidity will be imparted to the structure when assembled. The depth of each of these notches 19, 20, and 21 is also somewhat optional but should be sufficient to allow a horizontal plate member 28, subsequently to be described, to extend inwardly for a distance sufficient to provide the required rigidity.

In order to provide both rigidity and a bookshelf space, at least two of the adjacent side panels are also provided with horizontally disposed notches extending inwardly from the rear vertical edges thereof. Two such adjacent side planels in FIGURE 1 are 11 and 12 which are spaced apart a distance sufficient to allow a shelf of reasonable width to be interposed therebetween. Although only one rear horizontal shelf member need actually be required, preferably two or three should be provided. In FIGURE 1, three such rear horizontal shelves are shown, and more may obviously be added depending upon the compartmented storage space desired. Therefore, each of the side panel members 11 and 12 is provided with three vertically spaced and horizontally disposed notches 22, 24, 26, and 23, 25, 27, respectively, with pairs of notches 2223, 2425, and 2627 being spaced at different heights. These notches, extending inwardly from the rear vertical edges of panel members 11 and 12, have a depth which is somewhat optional. As shown in FIGURE 1, the lower most pair of horizontal notches 22 and 23 are positioned below the horizontally disposed front notches 20 and 21, while the remaining two pairs of rear horizontal notches 2425 and 2627 are disposed above said front horizontal notches. Again, this arrangement is optional, although it has been found that the position shown results in an extremely rigid structure.

A front horizontally disposed bookshelf and panel tiemember 28 is provided having notches 29, 30, and 31 extending inwardly of its rear edge and which respectively interfit with notches 19, 20, and 21 of the side panel members. The distance between notches 31 and 30 is such as to provide a reasonable width pedestal structure comprised of panel members 11 and 12. Notch 29 is spaced from notch 30 to provide an opening at the rear of the desk into which the person utilizing same may extend his legs. The front bookshelf 28 thereby provides a horizontal connecting or tie member for joining the lower front portions of side panel members 10, 11, and 12 as well as for providing a foot rest and/ or shelf for additional storage of objects.

In the preferred embodiment of FIGURE 1, the depth of notches 29 through 31 is substantially equal to the difference between the Width of member 28 and the depth of notches 19 through 21 such that its front edge is in alignment with the front vertical edges of side panel mem bers 10, 11, and 12. This is more readily seen by an examinationof FIGURE 3 showing the assembled desk structure. However, the depth of notches 29 through 31 may be made greater or less than said difference, in which case the front edge of member 28 extends inwardly or outwardly of the side panel member front edges, respectively. In any event, the relative dimensions of member 28 and the depths of corresponding interfitted notches 2 9 and 19 is somewhat optional and may be varied for reasons of design appeal. However, these relationships preferably should be such that the rear edge of member 28 extends inwardly a sufiicient distance to provide support to the front half of said side panel members so that Wracking in the vertical plane cannot occur. Furthermore, notches 29, 30, and 31 preferably should not extend inwardly to a depth greater than one-half the width of member 28 in order to avoid undesirable weakening thereof. Therefore, for these reasons the depth of notches 19, 2t and 21 in the preferred embodiment is substantially equal to one-fourth of the width of said side panel members, and the width of member 28 is substantially equal to one-half the width of said side panel members, while notches 29, 30, 31 extend inwardly to a depth approximately equal to one-half the width of shelf 28. This particular relationship permits the rear edge of member 28 to extend to the vertical center lines of the side members.

Three rear horizontally disposed shelves 32, 33, and 34 are each provided with at least notches 35-36, and 39 40, respectively, extending inwardly from their front edges and which interfit with corresponding notches 22-23, 2425, and 26--27 of side plate members 11 and 12. Thus, these shelf members provide a structural tie between said two adjacent side panel members as well as providing object storage space. The distance between two notches such as 35 and 36 is equal to the distance between notches 30 and 31 in front members 11 and 12.

As similarly explained in connection with the front member 28, it is desirable that the front edges of the rear shelves 32, 33, and 34 extend substantially to the vertical center lines of the side panel members 11 and 12. Although this feature is somewhat optional, the rigidity thereby imparted to the desk structure is quite substantial. However, for reasons of design appeal, in the preferred embodiment the rear edges of shelves 32, 33, and 34 extend outwardly of the rear edges of side panel members 11 and 12. This may be discerned in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. Again, this feature is optional since the relative depth of the notches in the shelves and in the side panel members, together with the front to back width of the shelves, may be such that the shelf rear edge is flush with or interior to the rear edges of the side panel members. In the preferred embodiment as shown in FIGURE 1, it may be stated generally that horizontal notches 22, 24, and 26 in side panel 11, for example, extend inwardly from the rear edge thereof to a depth greater than one-fourth but less than one-half its width, while the depth of notches 35 and 36 in shelf 32, for example, is equal to or greater than the difference between one-half the width of side panel member 11 and the depth of notch 32. This insures that the front edge of shelf member 32 extends to at least the vertical center line of the side panel members 1 and 12. In order to provide a rear overhang of shelf 32, the total front to back width thereof must be greater than the sum of the depths of notches 35 and 22.

A vertically disposed rear top rail 41 is provided having three notches 42, 43, and 44 extending inwardly from the bottom edge thereof. The notches 42, 43, and 44 are spaced apart distances equal to the distance between notches 29, 3t), and 31 in front member 28. Therefore, notches 42, 43, and 44 respectively interfit with corresponding vertical notches 16, 17, and 18 in side panel members It), 11, and 12. In this way, the rear top rail member 41 provides a structural tie support joining together all three side panels 10, 11, and 12. Normally, and in the preferred embodiment, the relationship between the width of rail 41 and the depth of corresponding interfitted notches 42 and 16, for example, is such that the top edge of rail 41 is flush with the top edges of the side members It 11, and 12. Furthermore, the width of rail 41 should not be great enough to interfere with the legs of one sitting behind the desk. However, these criteria are merely the preferred ones, and it should be noted that the top edge of rail 41 may extend either below or above the top edge of a side panel member if desired.

A vertically disposed front top rail member 45 is provided having three notches 46, 47 and 48 extending inwardly from the bottom edge thereof. The spacing between said last named notches is equal to the spacing between notches 29, 30, and 31 of member 28. Rail member 45 may be fitted within thhe vertical notches 13, 14, and 15 of the side panel members in one of two ways. Its notches 46, 47, and 48 may be disposed in downward fashion as shown in FIGURE 1, or conversely, may be disposed upwardly as shown in FIGURE 4. If downwardly disposed, notches 46, 47 and 48 interfit with corresponding complementary notches 13, 14, and 15 in a manner similar to the interfitting of the notches in rail 41 and side panel members 10, 11, and 12. In the preferred embodiment, the top edge of rail 45 is flush with the top edges of the side members, as is the top edge of rail 41.

Still referring to FIGURE 1, a top member 49 is also provided which is the actual working area of the desk. Assuming that the top rail member 45 has been inserted with its notches in a downward direction so as to interfit with corresponding notches 13, 14, and 15, desk top 49 is level with its underside resting upon at least two or more of the top edges of the vertical members compris ing the under structure. Where the top edges of rails 45 and 41 are fiush with the top edges of side panel mem-' bers 10, 11, and 12, then the under side of top 49 makes contact with all of the vertical members. In order to prevent any horizontal sliding motion of the desk top, two cleats 50 and 51 are attached to its under side which preferably run front to rear of the desk when assembled. These cleat members 50 and 51 have a length such that they will fit snugly between the front and rear rails 45 and 41 to prevent motion of the desk top in this direction.- 'In addition, cleats 50 and 51 may be spaced apart such that each abuts a respective one of the end panels 10 and 12 to prevent sliding of the desk top from right to left, or vice versa. The thickness of each cleat 50 and 51 should be such that a portion thereof will make contact with a portion of the under structure no matter What the particular configuration of the parts.

FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 3 of the drawings disclose the parts assembled into a first embodiment of the invention, that of a level top desk having book shelves to the left of a seated person. This desk, as has been described previously, is constructed from a kit without need for hardware and tools, inasmuch as the members are sturdily locked together by means of complementary interfitting notches. The desk is extremely rigid and may be designed with a view toward design appeal by having various ones of the horizontal members extending outwardly from the vertical members, such as is illustrated by shelves 3'2, 33, and 34. In addition the size of top 49 may be such as to provide an overhang to thereby increase its surface area without increasing the size of its supporting under structure. Side panel members 10, 11, and 12 may have their bottom edges scalloped in the manner shown.

Inasmuch as the surface finish of each vertical and horizontal plate member is the same on both sides thereof, the desk of FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 3 may be alternatively assembled with the bookshelf pedestal to the right instead of to the left. This can be accomplished by repositioning side member 10 on the other side of pedestal members 11 and 12 and by reversing members 28, 41 and 45 to bring their notches into alignment with the corresponding side panel notches. For this reason, two difierent embodiments of a level top desk may be provided from the same kit without need for modifying any of the panel members. This feature is believed to substantially increase the usefulness of the invention.

In the even that a sloping top desk is desired, which may be used as a drafting table, the top rail 45 is fitted within notches 13, 14, and 15 in a manner such that its own notches 46, 47, and 48 are upwardly disposed. In this case there is no actual locking together of side panel members 10, 11, and 12 by top rail 45. However, the tying effect of front member 28 and rear members 41, 34, 33, and 32 still imparts sufiicient rigidity to the understructure. With the top rail 45 disposed as described, i.e., with its notches upward, the top edge thereof is now at a level higher than the top edges of rail 41 and members through 12 such that top 49 slopes in a downward direction toward the rear of the desk structure. This is shown in FIGURE 5 where it is noted that the underside of the desk top 49 rests on the top edge of rail 45 and on the top rear corners of panel members 10, 11, and 12. In order to provide a slope angle which is convenient for drafting or the like, the following relationships should be present between the width of top rail 45, the depth of slots 13, 14, and and the spacing of said last named notches from the rear vertical edges of the side panel members. These relationships are such that the ratio of the difference between the width of rail 45 and the depth of notch 13 (distance a in FIGURE 5) to the distance of notch 13 from the rear vertical edge of panel 10 (distance b) is in the range of from 1/ 3 to l/S, inclusive. For example, in the preferred embodiment, the depth of notch '13 is one-half the width of rail 45, while the distance b is approximately one and two-thirds times the width of rail 45. Letting W=width of rail 45, then W%W i 1% 10 The preferred embodiment of FIGURE 5 also shows notches 13 through 15 to be approximately three times as deep as notches 16 through 18, although less than one fifth of the side panel vertical height, while rail member 45 is approximately three and one-half times the width of rail member =41.

It should further be noted from an examination of FIG- URE 5 that cleat members 51 and 50 should be of sutficient thickness such that a portion thereof abuts the top portion of rail 41 even when top 49 is inclined as shown. This is necessary in order to prevent the top 49 from sliding off. The assembled drafting table is shown in FIG- URE 6 and as with the level top desk may have either a left or right book pedestal,

It is therefore seen from the above description that the present invention comprises a knock-down kit of strong fiat panel members having notches cut therein, whereby at least four different desk structures may be easily assembled without requiring modification of any of the panel members. Thus, according to taste, needs, or physical environment, the purchaser may construct any one of these four from a single kit, and may subsequently change from one to the other as desired without any dilficulty. The desk in any of its four embodiments is extremely rigid, and appealing in design. This flexibility is deemed to be novel and unobvious to one skilled in the art. Although certain preferred embodiments have been described, it is apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An article of furniture comprising: at least three parallel spaced vertically disposed side members each having at least two vertical notches respectively spaced near the front and rear edges thereof and extending inwardly from the top edge, where each of said side memhere also has at least one horizontal notch spaced from the bottom edge thereof and extending inwardly from said front edge, with at least two adjacent ones of said side members each further having at least one horizontal notch extending inwardly from the rear edge thereof, a horizontally disposed rear plate member having at least two parallel notches spaced apart a first distance and extending inwardly from an edge thereof, with said last named notches respectively interfitting with corresponding said side member horizontal rear notches, a horizontally disposed front plate member having at least three parallel spaced apart notches extending inwardly from an edge thereof, where two adjacent ones of its said notches are spaced apart by said first distance, with said horizontal front plate member notches respectively interfitting with corresponding ones of said member horizontal front notches, a vertically disposed rear plate member having at least three parallel notches spaced apart the same distance as said three horizontal front plate member notches while extending inwardly from an edge thereof, with said last named notches respectively interfitting with corresponding said side member vertical rear notches, a vertically disposed front plate member having at least three parallel notches spaced apart the same distance as said three horizontal front plate member notches and extending inwardly from an edge thereof, with said vertical front plate member fitted within said side member vertical front notches, and a top plate member resting on the top edge of at least two of said vertical members.

2. An article of furniture according to claim 1 wherein the said vertical front plate member notches respectively interfit with corresponding said side member vertical front notches.

3. An article of furniture according to claim 1 wherein the said vertical front plate member notches are upwardly disposed without interfitting with corresponding said side member vertical front notches.

4. An article of furniture according to claim 1 wherein said top plate member has at least one cleat member attached to its underside, of a length to fit between said vertical front member and said vertical rear member and with a thickness sufficient to extend below the top edge of said last named member.

5. An article of furniture according to claim 4 wherein the said vertical front plate member notches respectively interfit with corresponding said side member vertical front notches.

6. An article of furniture according to claim 4' wherein the said vertical front plate member notches are upwardly disposed without interfitting with corresponding said side member vertical front notches.

7. An article of furniture comprising: at least three spaced vertically disposed parallel side members each having at least two vertical notches respectively spaced near the front and rear edges thereof and extending inwardly from the top edge, where the front vertical notch extends to a depth less than one-fifth of said member length but at least twice as great as the depth of the rear vertical notch, with each of said side members also having at least one horizontal notch spaced from the bottom edge thereof and extending inwardly from the front edge to a depth less than one-third the width of said member, with at least two adjacent ones of said side members each further having at least three vertically spaced horizontal notches extending inwardly from the rear edge thereof to a depth less than one-half the width of said member, where the lower most rear horizontal notch is spaced below said front horizontal notch while the other two upper most rear horizontal notches are spaced above said front horizontal notch, at least three vertically spaced rear horizontally disposed plate members each having at least two parallel notches spaced apart by a first distance and extending inwardly from an edge thereof to a depth equal to at least the difference between one-half the side member width and the depth of a side member rear horizontal notch, with said notches of each rear horizontal plate member respectively interfitting with corresponding rear horizontal notches of said two adjacent side members, a front horizontally disposed plate member having at least three spaced apart parallel notches extending inwardly from an edge thereof to a depth substantially equal to one-half its width, where two adjacent ones of said front horizontal plate member notches are spaced apart a distance equal to said first distance with said last named notches interfitting with the corresponding front horizontal notches of said two adjacent side members and the other front horizontal member notch interfitting with the front horizontal notch of the other side member, a rear vertically disposed plate member having at least three parallel notches spaced apart the same distances as said three front horizontal plate member notches while extending inwardly from an edge thereof to a depth not less than the difference between the width thereof and the depth of a rear vertical side member notch, with said rear vertical plate member notches interfitting with said rear vertical notches of said side members, a front vertically disposed plate member having at least three parallel notches spaced apart the same distances as said three front horizontal plate member notches while extending inwardly from an edge thereof to a depth not less than the difference between the width thereof and the depth of a said side member from vertical notch, with said front vertical plate member fitted Within said last named notches, and a top plate member resting on the upper edges of at least two of said vertical members.

8. An article of furniture according to claim 7 wherein the notches of said front vertical plate member interfit with the corresponding front vertical notches of said side members.

9. An article of furniture according to claim 7 wherein the notches of said front vertical plate member are upwardly disposed without interfitting with corresponding said side member vertical front notches.

10. An article of furniture according to claim 7 wherein said top plate member is fitted with at least two spaced parallel cleat members attached to its underside each of a length to fit between said front vertical plate member and said rear vertical plate member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,366,677 Rosenthal Jan. 2, 1945 2,481,671 John Sept. 13, 1949 2,595,002 Schneider Apr. 29, 1952 

